


Gap in the Trees

by hauntedelation



Category: Henry Cavill - Fandom, I Capture the Castle (2003)
Genre: Fluff, Instant Attraction, Other, Puppy Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28968564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedelation/pseuds/hauntedelation
Summary: You found yourself lost in the new land that your family had moved to. A break in the forest gave way to a large castle with a boy working hard under the rising sun. At first meeting, you find a peculiar attraction to him.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Reader, Stephen Colley/Reader, Stephen Colley/You
Kudos: 3





	Gap in the Trees

**Author's Note:**

> Yesterday, I watched I Capture the Castle, and of course, I fell in love with Stephen. (How could I not?) This sort've came out of nowhere though, in a fit of daydreaming. I am not spoiling the film, but I just wanted to change how everything ended up for him in the end.

Gif Credit: [@soniabragas](https://soniabragas.tumblr.com/post/638878887078739968/i-capture-the-castle-2003-dir-tim-fywell)

➽─────────────❥

He first appeared to you in the morning light.

There was a mist that left everything around in a sheen of dewy sweat, him including. The sun shone through the trees, and it was clear to you that everything wet had been so overnight.

You weren't sure how long the boy had been out here. Maybe it was always, all hours of the day until way after sunset. Or, maybe it was now and again.

This was an unfamiliar part of the countryside, one in which you have never trekked before. The foliage grew thicker here. Oak trees, bushes, weeds, and a world of other vegetation sprouted in every direction.

Today may have been the first time that you had ever gotten grass stains on your clothes.

The edges of the leaves scratched your skin. With an opened hand, you would push away the stray twigs with your palms and weave your way around the wildest parts of the wood. Your eyes adjusted to a newfound baby blue color, sprinkling at the ends of stems and standing out amongst the verdant surroundings.

You weren't sure where you were going that daybreak. The directions from your parents were filled with uncertainty. Once you left your new estate, it was as if you had no memory entering that lush greenery.

Maybe you were in a dream. To be around such peaceful nature, a new culture, it all felt unreal to live in this country.

You must have woken up when the sun kissed your face for the first time. In the small spaces of the treetops, a warm ray would cast down. Then, at the right spot, you could feel it blanket your body.

However, you were _sure_ that your eyes were wide open when they first laid on the male in the umber suspenders.

He was bent over near a flower bed, both of his hands dug deep into the Earth and pulling free the roots of weeds. He would rotate his body, in a manner that was practiced and somewhat monotonous, and toss the roots into a steel wheelbarrow.

The boy stopped and wiped his hands together before rubbing his coffee-stained digits onto the thighs of his pants, leaving behind a dark shadow on the material.

He stretched his lithe figure, and one of his hands went to rub at the muscles on his back, faintly wincing at a quiet crack that ensued. A knuckle of his free hand went to wipe at his forehead, smudging a mark on his damp skin.

His lashes fluttered in a cooling breeze and with the wind calming down, his blue eyes opened to meet the image of you.

You could see his breath hitch in his heaving chest from where you stood. He slowly removed his hand from the spot on his forehead. And, for a long while, the young man did nothing but gape at you.

The blue in his eyes reminded you of your favorite crayon as a child, cornflower, you think. The dusted magenta from his cheekbones to his jaw brought the image of cupid to your mind. The shade seemed to blend down to the boy's parted lips. He appeared virtuous and youthful, you half expected a halo to float above his head.

A spot of sunshine brightened up the side of his perspiring face and you could pick up that his near-black hair was close to the color of the soil on his forehead. A droplet of sweat lazily found its way down his temple and was lost under his angular jaw.

When you took a breath you decided to smile at him, close-lipped and probably nowhere as nervous as him. Your hand was unclasped from the other in front of you and you gingerly waved to him.

_"Hi, I'm sorry to be a bother but I am looking for the...Mortmain residence?"_

You told the boy your name and his eyes seemed to widen a bit more, but, only for a fraction of a second. He relaxed and sent you a rather pearly grin.

_"Hello, I'm Stephen, I am—a **laborer** for the Mortmain estate." _

His head turned around to the castle sitting several paces behind him, his hand gesturing around. But, soon after the boy's face found yours, and interest pooled into his eyes.

A spark entered your mind at the last name, _Mortmain_ , you were positive you found the right home. You took in the land around and the large stone and mortar structure in the distance before finding those cornflower eyes again. A small smile grew on your lips.

_"Ah, I believe these are the neighbors that I introduce myself to."_

Your feet maneuvered around fallen branches and closer to the young man. You stopped two feet away from him and presented your hand. Stephen quickly grasped your hand in his clammy one, shaking it and leaving behind several marks on your fingers and palm.

You found yourself chuckling at the apology that came from his lips soon after. He reached into his back pocket and fished out a white towel, partially dyed with soil. Stephen pushed the towel into your hands and watched you wipe your palm off. His fingers on one hand went to scratch at the nape of his neck.

When you finished you simply held the towel and peered up at him. His stature towered over you by several inches. Stephen's face was far rosier up close than when you were further away from him. And at this proximity, you saw the tawny splash of color in one of his eyes.

_"Thank you for the towel, Stephen."_

A pink tongue wet his lips and he gave you a timid shake of his head,

_"No need to thank me. I-I should have been more careful."_

Your teeth sunk lightly into your lower lip to bite back a smirk. For no central reason, you found yourself captivated with this polite worker. He was native to this land. You knew this the moment you heard his name slip from his mouth. With that accent, you quickly took a liking to his proper articulation of everyday speech.

The smudge remaining on his forehead caught your eye. With a careful movement, you bunched the white towel in your hands and lifted it to wipe at his dewy forehead. Your feet stepped closer to his body, close to where you could feel the heat radiating off of him.

_"I like your accent, you sound very eloquent."_

Stephen stiffened under your touch, and you could see the previous grin drop from his face. Only, the young man was not frowning but appeared in a stupor, like a child who would see lighting for the very first time.

He watched your hand remove itself from his face. On the cloth, he noticed the dark marking there. He blinked, eyes moving from the towel and back to your eyes. The boy was rapidly flushing clear to his neck. Then, he found his breath again.

_"T-thank you,"_

Stephen faltered in his words.

_"I uhm—I like **yours** as well."_

Your hands grasped the towel and began folding it, playful eyes never removing from the young man's face. You opened the distance between you two and turned your head toward the direction of the grand castle.

_"Will you show me the family, Stephen?"_

You handed the boy his towel. And, there he stood, dark brows furrowing down at the cloth, heart pounding in his chest. He stood in that spot for a fair amount of time, his feet planted stagnant like a tree.

Eventually, after many seconds, Stephen rose his head to find that you were already on your way toward the structure. He stuffed the towel into his back pocket and gently called after you, feet soon matching your leisurely pace and the sleeve of his loose shirt brushing against yours.

The chatter of conversation was soft between you both as he guided you toward the castle. Your voices were vaguely heard under the cheerful song of birds and insects in the wood.

➽─────────────❥


End file.
